Tweet
ARMENIA LURED TO NABUCCO
by Natalia Grib; Tamila Dzhodzhua; Nikolay Filchenko
RusData Dialine - BizEkon News
September 8, 2009 Tuesday
Russia
Kommersant
Turkey hopes to involve Armenia in Nabucco
The nascent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia has produced an
unexpected result. Late last week, the Turkish government said Armenia
could join the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project bypassing Russia,
to bring natural gas from the Caspian region via Turkey to Baumgarten
in Austria.
Analysts say the reason for the offer is the volatile political
situation in Georgia, but that the main obstacle is Azerbaijan,
which is expected to supply gas to the pipeline, and could prevent
Armenia from becoming a transit country.
Sinan Ogan, chairman of the Turkish Center for International Relations
and Strategic Analysis (Turksam), said Armenia could be involved in
the project. When the Georgia-South Ossetia war began a year ago, he
predicted that Nabucco could run from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Armenia.
Sabit Bagirov, head of the Azerbaijani Center for Economic and
Political Studies, said: "The EU may insist on making technical
changes to the Nabucco project to build it not across Georgia but
across Armenia."
Karen Karapetyan, board chairman of Armrosgazprom, an 80-20 venture
between Russian energy giant Gazprom and the Armenian government,
said their agenda of local energy projects in the South Caucasus does
not include Nabucco. However, the partners are considering supplying
Russian gas to Turkey and Iranian gas to Armenian power plants,
which would in turn supply electricity to Iran.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller earlier mentioned the possibility of swap
transactions between Iran and Turkey. If the Armenian-Turkish border
were opened, these swap deliveries could be made across Armenia.
Azerbaijan is unwilling to discuss the possible involvement of
Armenia in the Nabucco project. The day after media outlets wrote of a
potential breakthrough in Armenian-Turkish relations, the Azerbaijani
authorities criticized plans to open the border between Armenia and
Turkey, saying that any decision on the matter should be linked to
the solution of the Karabakh problem. "Azerbaijan will not transport
its hydrocarbons across Armenia until its occupied territories are
liberated," Bagirov said.
From: Baghdasarian
by Natalia Grib; Tamila Dzhodzhua; Nikolay Filchenko
RusData Dialine - BizEkon News
September 8, 2009 Tuesday
Russia
Kommersant
Turkey hopes to involve Armenia in Nabucco
The nascent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia has produced an
unexpected result. Late last week, the Turkish government said Armenia
could join the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project bypassing Russia,
to bring natural gas from the Caspian region via Turkey to Baumgarten
in Austria.
Analysts say the reason for the offer is the volatile political
situation in Georgia, but that the main obstacle is Azerbaijan,
which is expected to supply gas to the pipeline, and could prevent
Armenia from becoming a transit country.
Sinan Ogan, chairman of the Turkish Center for International Relations
and Strategic Analysis (Turksam), said Armenia could be involved in
the project. When the Georgia-South Ossetia war began a year ago, he
predicted that Nabucco could run from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Armenia.
Sabit Bagirov, head of the Azerbaijani Center for Economic and
Political Studies, said: "The EU may insist on making technical
changes to the Nabucco project to build it not across Georgia but
across Armenia."
Karen Karapetyan, board chairman of Armrosgazprom, an 80-20 venture
between Russian energy giant Gazprom and the Armenian government,
said their agenda of local energy projects in the South Caucasus does
not include Nabucco. However, the partners are considering supplying
Russian gas to Turkey and Iranian gas to Armenian power plants,
which would in turn supply electricity to Iran.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller earlier mentioned the possibility of swap
transactions between Iran and Turkey. If the Armenian-Turkish border
were opened, these swap deliveries could be made across Armenia.
Azerbaijan is unwilling to discuss the possible involvement of
Armenia in the Nabucco project. The day after media outlets wrote of a
potential breakthrough in Armenian-Turkish relations, the Azerbaijani
authorities criticized plans to open the border between Armenia and
Turkey, saying that any decision on the matter should be linked to
the solution of the Karabakh problem. "Azerbaijan will not transport
its hydrocarbons across Armenia until its occupied territories are
liberated," Bagirov said.
From: Baghdasarian